What’s new for you in 2020?
Maybe you are thinking about a new career, a new business or need to learn a specific skill set for a new role?
Maybe you just want to learn how to knit? (trust me, there are such people out there!).
Formal education is expensive and difficult to access and these days with the world of the digital age at our fingertips, its easier than ever to find training opportunities from all over the world.
There are many options on the web that can help you upskill yourself and enhance your learning. Whether you want to master the art of choux pastry, get some background on different management skills or just want to learn a smattering of Italian before your holiday next year, the opportunities are endless (and a lot of the time, free. Hooray!).
I’ve found a stack of places offering free (and almost free) education and training on everything from cooking, to craft, to photography, management, business and marketing and all sorts of other stuff too. Let’s check it out….
TAFE COLLEGE
In Australia, your local TAFE college may offer free or really well priced short courses and certificates covering all sorts of topics. Some universities also offer a similar thing and its well worth checking online with each one to see what sort of thing they have on offer.
ONLINE TRAINING SITES
Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning), have hundreds of courses across a wide variety of topics. Business, design, software development, photography & art, web development etc.
ALison.com similar to Lynda.com, loads of free courses available here.
udemy.com Not quite free but super cheap compared to bigger longer courses.
YOUTUBE
Don’t laugh. Sure it’s basic, but somewhere, someone on youtube has just uploaded a video showing you exactly what you need to know. How to replace your clothes dryer start switch? How to make giant fairy wings for your kids’ book week parade? How to use Photoshop so you can crop the ex out of your favourite profile picture?
Trust me, there is a tutorial for everything!
IN HOUSE LEARNING
Don’t overlook your employer for free learning opportunities. Check your companies’ offerings for their staff. If you search your company intranet you might find the business offers training for staff, either online or in house. It could be management skills, dealing with difficult situations/people or how to learn advanced excel.
It doesn’t matter what you want to learn, someone, somewhere has a video or a course showing you how to do it. Our unprecedented access to the world via our digital footprint means that the possibilities for expanding your own knowledge anytime and anywhere, really are endless.
Just Be You, Everyday